The Journey
by Kynthia1
Summary: An AU - Jack's return to Abydos five years after the movie.
1. The Departure

The Departure Cheyenne Mountain:  
  
Jack fidgeted. Earlier that day two air force officers had shown up at his house, informed him that his retirement had been revoked, and that he was to accompany them to the Cheyenne Mountain Complex immediately. To make matters worse, his escorts refused to give him any explanation as to why he had been recalled to active duty; they had merely informed him that it was 'on a need to know basis' and that he'd be fully briefed in 'due time'. Since then, he had been waiting in one of the base's briefing rooms. Occasionally the monotony was broken by a new arrival, but none knew, or would admit to knowing, the reason why they had been summoned to the base.   
  
Jack shifted in his seat, kicked the chair leg, drummed his fingers on the table and thought, 'For crying out loud! Right now I should be hunkered down with a rod in one hand and a cold beer in the other, not wasting my time here.'   
  
Jack looked around the room, taking in the changes since his last visit to Cheyenne Mountain. 'It sure hasn't changed much in five years. Same institutional gray walls, same uncomfortable chairs. Ya think that with their budget, the Pentagon could spring for some new furniture,' he thought. He scanned the crowd, searching for a familiar face. A couple of the junior officers looked familiar, but Jack couldn't quite place anyone.   
  
'What ever happened to all those civilians they had working here? Did they send them all home after Ferretti, Kowalsky and I got back from Abydos?' Jack thought. Jack wondered, not for the first time, what cover story had been given to explain Dr. Jackson's disappearance.   
  
Another man entered the room. Noting the new arrival's insignia, the crowd rose, and saluted. The man ordered them to be seated and took his place at the head of the table. "I am General George Hammond, the new Commanding Officer of this base," he said.   
  
After introductions were finished, General Hammond faced the assembled men. "Gentlemen, as some of you already know, five years ago, a team of air force personnel accompanied by a civilian specialist, traveled across the galaxy to another world. On this world, they found a civilization descended from humans kidnapped from ancient Egypt. They also encountered a very powerful alien posing as one of the ancient Egyptian deities. . . . Fortunately, Colonel O'Neill and his men, aided by Dr. Jackson, were able to neutralize the threat. . . . " The General continued to speak, ignoring the stunned disbelief from certain members of his audience. "After Colonel O'Neill returned, the government decided to mothball the project. This decision was made in part due to erroneous information," General Hammond said, glancing at Jack who responded with a sheepish shrug. "Erroneous information, sir?" an officer asked. "Yes, apparently Colonel O'Neill's mission report was not entirely accurate; especially his account of Dr. Jackson's status," said General Hammond. "It appears that Dr. Jackson was not killed on Abydos, as reported." "Sir, what did happen to Dr. Daniel Jackson?" one of the participants said. "Have there been any attempts at communication since the first mission?" "After Colonel O'Neill's return the stargate was disconnected and put into storage. Several months after that, the stargate apparently reactivated. We believe that someone or something tried to visit us, but, due to the packing materials blocking the stargate, the person or persons were unsuccessful," General Hammond said.   
  
"Are you sure that someone tried to get through?" Jack asked in alarm.   
  
"Organic residue was found on the inside of the packing crate," General Hammond said.   
  
Jack froze. 'No, oh god, no, not Daniel,' he thought, sick with horror. 'What have I done? The man had no future on earth, he'd lost his job, his girlfriend had dumped him, he had even been evicted. He wanted so badly to stay with Sha're, to explore Abydos and learn more about ancient Egypt. I was only trying to help, but I condemned him to death,' Jack thought desperately.   
  
General Hammond resumed the briefing. "Tomorrow a second expedition will depart for Abydos. The purpose of this mission is to open trade negotiations with the Abydonians for naquadah, the mineral used by the alien Ra, to obtain any advanced technology, and of course, find out exactly what happened to Dr. Jackson."  
  
"Who will lead this mission?" asked one of the officers. "As he is the highest ranking officer with first hand knowledge of the terrain, Colonel O'Neill will be the commanding officer," General Hammond said. "That is, if he's willing."  
  
  
  
Everyone turned to Jack. Oblivious, Jack continued to berate himself for allowing Daniel to stay on Abydos. 'He must have been trying to come home and now he's dead. This is all my fault,' he thought bitterly.  
  
"Colonel?" General Hammond said. "Are you listening?"  
  
Jack started. "Yes sir," he said, not quite sure what Hammond had been saying.  
  
"Then it's settled, you will lead the tomorrow's mission to Abydos," General Hammond said.  
  
"Abydos tomorrow, right," Jack said, his mood lightening a little.   
  
"I trust this time you will present a full and accurate report, Colonel," General Hammond said, in a rather unfriendly tone.  
  
Jack met the General's gaze. "Yes sir," he said quietly. 'I guess I deserved that,' Jack thought.  
  
"Good," Hammond said.   
  
The Next Day:  
  
Jack, accompanied by Kowalsky, Ferretti, and two new officers, Major Griff and Colonel Makepeace, stood on the ramp in front of the stargate, waiting for their adventure to begin.  
  
"Chevron seven encoded," the technician said at the gate came to life.  
  
Colonel Makepeace approached the rippling surface of the event horizon cautiously. "So this thing really leads to another world?" he said giving the wormhole a dubious look.  
  
"Don't worry Colonel," Kowalsky said to Makepeace. "It's a piece of cake."  
  
Makepeace, apparently feeling that the honor of the marines had been impugned, jumped into the event horizon, quickly followed by Major Griff.  
  
"See you on the other side," Kowalsky said to Jack as he and Ferretti leapt after them.  
  
Jack took one last look around the embarkation room. Noticing General Hammond watching him from the observation deck he tossed off a jaunty salute and stepped through the gate.   
  
The End. 


	2. The Arrival

The Arrival:  
  
Abydos:   
  
Jack stumbled out of the Stargate. He had forgotten how unpleasant an experience wormhole travel was. He stood up, wiped the frost off his face, and quickly scanned his surroundings. Everything was exactly as he remembered, except, of course, the group of men pointing a variety of weapons at him.   
  
One of the men stepped forward; Jack couldn't make out many details of the man's appearance, as he seemed to be wearing a robe two sizes too large, with a hood covering most of his face, but the muffled sneezes coming from under the hood sounded suspiciously familiar.   
  
"Dr. Jackson, I presume?" Jack said nonchalantly.   
  
The hood of man's robe slipped back to reveal sandy brown hair. "Colonel O'Neill" he said hesitantly.   
  
"Hi, honey, I'm home," Jack said, grinning.   
  
Kasuf entered the gateroom. "O'Neill," he said, his face lighting up with pleasure. "Welcome back." Turning to Skaara, he said "Son, inform the women that O'Neill has returned. Tonight we will feast !"   
  
"Oh joy, more roast lizard," Jack thought.  
  
After ordering Kowalsky and Ferretti to stand guard, Jack followed Daniel out of the gateroom.  
  
"I was kinda surprised to see you here. I wasn't sure if you were still alive," Jack said.  
  
"Of course I'm alive, why would you think otherwise" Daniel said, puzzled.   
  
"Oh, no reason" Jack said. "Just that someone or something tried to visit earth about a year after our little adventure here. They couldn't get through because the USAF, in its infinite wisdom, put the Stargate in a large crate. I'll spare you the technobabble explanation, but apparently the wormhole thingie couldn't form right. Anyway, they thought it was you, trying to come back home. I hoped it wasn't. I've spent the last five years wondering how you were doing. I'm glad you're okay."   
  
Daniel smiled shyly, "I didn't know anyone missed me" he said. They walked out into the harsh Abydonian sunlight. Jack removed his baseball cap to wipe his brow.   
  
Daniel glanced at Jack, startled by the sight of silver hair. 'My god, he's completely gray. How long has it been? It can't have been more than five years since I've seen him, it can't be,' Daniel thought, rattled. Jack replaced the cap. 


	3. The Discussion

The Discussion  
  
Unable to sleep, Daniel left his home and joined Colonel O'Neill. Jack noticed the younger man seemed slightly embarrassed.   
  
"So, Daniel" Jack said   
  
"Jack" Daniel replied.   
  
"What have you been up to these last five years? Anything exciting?" Jack asked.   
  
"Well I kept myself busy, I spent a lot of time herding mastedges, hauling water from the well, making mud bricks, and I learned how to grind flour." Daniel said.   
  
"Sounds thrilling" Jack said dryly.   
  
"Not exactly" Daniel admitted.   
  
"Daniel, you do know why I came here, don't you? I know you've made a lot of new friends here, but it's time to come home." Jack said. "I'm sorry about ruining your life, but I have orders".   
  
"Uh Jack, you wouldn't be ruining my life Jack" Daniel said, sighing.   
  
"Trouble in paradise?" Jack said gently. He had noticed Sha're didn't appear to be too heartbroken at the prospect of being separated from Daniel. Another marriage down the tubes. Well how likely is it that a man with 2 Ph.D.'s would have a lasting relationship with an illiterate peasant, he thought.   
  
"Our marriage has been deteriorating for some time" Daniel said. "It isn't any one thing, really, more of a combination. Among other things Sha're wants a large family, and I don't think that such a good idea."   
  
"You don't want kids?" Jack asked, his voice betraying his surprise.   
  
"I do, I guess. It's just that I don't want my children to grow up here. Abydos is too primitive. I don't want any daughter of mine to marry at 15, be completely under her husband's thumb, and end up middle-aged at 30, worn out from having a baby every year." Daniel responded. "I always pictured my kids as scholars, not medieval peasants."   
  
"Yeah, I can see your point," Jack said. "It's only natural for a parent to want more for his kids."  
  
"That wasn't the only issue" Daniel continued. "Sha're simply doesn't understand how I feel about anything. I'm not blaming her, she's lived her whole life in this little village, she's never been exposed to another culture before. But she is completely unable to imagine any other way of life, or even different viewpoints" he said, unable to keep the frustration out of voice. "It's not just that, no one here is the least bit interested in learning anything new. This culture has remained the same for 3,000 years, and nobody sees any reason to change anything. I thought I could teach them to read, to learn about their history but they're not interested."   
  
"Well, I'm not that much of a reader myself," Jack said. "National Geographic is about the limit for me. That and Field and Stream. Musta been tough for a guy like you though, being completely cut off from any kind of reading material."  
  
"You have no idea," Daniel said. "I would have killed for a newspaper."  
  
I can see their viewpoint, Jack thought privately. If you had managed to successfully live your entire life without any need for literacy, it would be hard to get too enthused about the concept; especially if you busted your butt from sunup to sundown doing menial labor just to survive. Who would have the time or energy to spare for learning useless trivia? Of course Daniel would never see it that way, Jack thought, remembering the enthusiastic young scientist whose curiosity and passion for knowledge had brought them to the other side of the galaxy.   
  
Feeling badly for his friend, Jack patted Daniel's arm. "Don't feel guilty. These things happen, don't beat yourself up because you can't make it work". Jack said. 


	4. The Doubts

The Doubts  
  
Chulak:   
  
Teal'c brooded.  
  
Unlike most of the other Jaffa, Teal'c had long harbored doubts about the divinity of the Goa'uld. Master Bray'tac's death was merely the final blow to his belief system. Several years earlier Apophis had ordered a contingent of Jaffa, led by Master Bray'tac, to obtain suitable candidates to host his new queen. Unfortunately, something had gone wrong. None of the warriors had returned. Indeed, they had not even been able to complete the journey through the Chap'pa'ai to the Tauri home world.   
  
If Apophis was truly a god, Teal'c reasoned, he should have known the gate to the Tauri world was blocked. Since he had not, it must be that Apophis was a false god, undeserving of Teal'c's allegiance. Even though four years had passed, Teal'c had not forgiven Apophis for sending Master Bray'tac to his death. Ironically, it was this incident which had led to his becoming First Prime of Apophis, a position of power among the Jaffa. As the years passed, Teal'c's bitterness increased. Yearning to free his people from the yoke of slavery he began to search for a leader who could end the Goa'uld tyranny. As of yet, he had not encountered anyone, but he still hoped.   
  
Apophis had learned that Ra's ship had mysteriously exploded some time ago, and this portion of his territory had not yet been claimed by another Goa'uld. Intending to remedy that situation, Apophis had ordered his First Prime, Teal'c to prepare an expedition to Abydos, a world long under the domination of Ra. Not only did Abydos contain naquadah, there was a sizable human settlement, which would provide Apophis with a steady source of slaves. 


	5. The Decision

The Decision  
  
Abydos:   
  
Jack and Daniel heard shouting in the distance. They saw Skaara running towards them. "Dan'yell, O'Neill, the Chap'pa'ai has opened, many men have entered". he called out. Several large, well-armed men followed him.   
  
Jack tried unsuccessfully to reach Kowalsky. Before he could formulate a plan of action, one of the intruders tossed a small ball towards them, knocking them unconscious.   
  
Daniel came to on the floor of the gateroom, surrounded by Abydonians and several air force personnel. He sat up slowly, scanning the room; spotting Jack, he said "What happened? Who are these people?"  
  
"I don't know who they are Daniel. All I know is that they got the jump on us," Jack said bitterly.   
  
The gate came to life again; Apophis, in full goa'uld regalia, stepped forth.  
  
"Kneel before your god," said a Jaffa.   
  
"What god? All I see is a guy dressed in a Halloween costume," Jack said.  
  
Another warrior, angered by Jack's insolence, hit the Colonel, knocking him to the floor. "Quiet," he snapped.  
  
Apophis inspected them as if they were mastedges awaiting sale. "I do not see anyone here worthy of the honor of being chosen as Children of The Gods," Apophis said. "We will return to Chulak."   
  
Teal'c noticed that several of the men wore clothing that differed from the others. Intrigued by the prisoners, Teal'c studied them carefully. Their leader stood tall, meeting Teal'c's gaze, his face showing anger, instead of cringing in fear. A younger man stood by the Tauri's side. He too appeared to be defiant. Confidence, that was the difference, these men were warriors, not slaves. They certainly did not believe that Apophis was divine. It was a shame that they would be destroyed.   
  
A Jaffa entered the coordinates for Chulak.  
  
"Don't let the door hit you on the ass on your way out, Snaky" the gray-haired one said.   
  
The Jaffa gasped in shock. No one ever had dared to speak to their god in such a manner. Surely these men would be punished in the next world as well as this one for their blasphemy.   
  
Apophis glared at the captives, eyes glowing. "Kill them all" he said before stepping into the wormhole. The Jaffa aimed their staff weapons at the crowd, preparing to fire.   
  
Jack cried "I can save these people".   
  
Teal'c turned, could it be, was this the man who was capable of ending the Goa'uld tyranny, he wondered. To the astonishment of all, including Jack, he aimed his staff weapon upon his own Jaffa, blasting them. Meanwhile, O'Neill grabbed a weapon from a guard and began firing upon the remaining Jaffa. Several warriors leapt through the still open wormhole, escaping from Abydos. The others were quickly killed by the combined forces of the SG team and Abydonians. 


	6. The Homecoming

The Homecoming  
  
Later, after the gate had been blocked, and the bodies buried, Jack asked Teal'c why he had helped the Abydonians.   
  
"Many have said they could fight the Goa'uld, you are the first I have believed" he said.   
  
"What are you going to do now?" Jack asked.   
  
"I am now Shol'va, a traitor, I have betrayed my god. All Jaffa will turn against me. No one will help me on pain of death. Therefore, I will return to Chulak to fight one last battle against the false gods. However, I will die well, knowing that I am free." Teal'c declaimed.   
  
"Sweet" Jack said.   
  
"Jack, we can't let him sacrifice himself, after all he did just save our lives" Daniel protested.   
  
"He's an alien Daniel" Jack said.   
  
"He has rights too" Daniel insisted.   
  
"I'm probably going to catch hell for this, but why don't you come with us instead?" Jack offered.   
  
"O'Neill, what would become of me on your world? What place could a shol'va have?" Teal'c asked.   
  
"You could always stay at my house" Jack said.   
  
Cheyenne Mountain:   
  
"Incoming wormhole," Sgt. Siler said.  
  
General Hammond faced the Stargate, eagerly awaiting O'Neill's return.  
  
Men began to emerge from the Stargate. The General spotted the familiar figures of Ferretti, Kowalsky, and several other airmen, followed by a sandy-haired, blue-eyed man clad in Egyptian style robes, who could only be Dr. Jackson. Bringing up the rear were Colonel O'Neill and a large black man who appeared to be wearing a suit of armor   
  
"Colonel O'Neill, who the Sam Hill is that?" General Hammond demanded, staring at Teal'c in amazement.   
  
"He followed us home Dad, can we keep him?" Jack said, smirking.   
  
The End. 


End file.
